Negotiations With Lycanstrists Are Never a Good Idea
On the day of the Dungeon Cleaner recording.
After arriving at the set with the Nature trio, I watched everything unfold from one step behind.
“Back in my day, there was none of this…”
Just ten years ago, [Dungeon == Dangerous Zone] was the common understanding.
Dungeons were meant only for properly prepared Awakeners. Never for filming as entertainment or broadcasting. The era had changed, though. Technology had evolved, and dungeons were now being treated as targets. We’d heard talk about analyzing their severity.
Devices to measure a dungeon’s severity and mana distribution had existed before too.
The issue was that some dungeons occasionally triggered spikes in difficulty when conditions were met, like shifting into a labyrinth type or activating traps. They weren’t very reliable.
Now, however, technology could even distinguish dungeon shape, intensity, and type. This kind of deception had become possible.
Looking at it this way, how should we describe humanity’s progress? The truth was it was far more honest about its desires than anyone imagined.
“Eaaaaah~~~ Argh… Ugh.”
What was I supposed to do, anyway?
I was officially the manager, so I had come along, but after the previous incident with Seok-wook—not that kind of thing, I mean the scandal—I had handed everything over to Ah-young.
Hee-won’s orders had been clear: act purely as a coach.
It was actually nicer in many ways than before, but this was turning my body strangely itchy.
‘Could it be that I’m a workaholic?’
No way.
Yet lately I seemed to be working more than ever.
Maybe I was just enjoying the sight of beautiful girls scrambling and falling apart right in front of me.
[It’s not that I don’t know, Papa!]
“Nox?”
[Every time those unnies were in trouble, Papa would feel good, so Nox worked extra hard to help Papa from behind!]
“So lately you’ve been saying you have so much energy, and it was all for this?”
The side effect, whatever it was, was that I would collapse unconscious the moment I got home.
Even when I didn’t pass out, though…
[Speaking of which, Papa. May I make one small request?]
“A request? What kind?”
[Papa, I want to take all your used tissues!]
“………”
Hmm.
So this was no misunderstanding.
Since it wasn’t a misunderstanding, I had no intention of denying it.
“Why… is it necessary?”
[Can’t I…?]
“It’s not that I can’t say no, but…”
Some things, really.
No matter how you looked at it, a little… a little… still.
With people around, I couldn’t say it in detail, but even between a spirit and its contractor, there were lines that must not be crossed.
Originally, what reason could a spirit possibly have for wanting used tissues?
[Nox is fine with it, but when ‘we’ see it, ‘we’ will keep asking Nox for more and ‘we’ will feel like ‘we’ want it too!]
“Even if it’s that straightforward…”
By the time my mind was starting to blur.
This time, Hecate’s light spread through my chest and answered me.
[Nothing particularly strange about it. Nox may not understand, but those born half-missing from the other side are basically the same.]
“If they’re born half-missing… then they’re half-missing, but—”
We were supposed to meet each other as a baby, but we hadn’t even met before being born.
The word “born” felt odd, but since they weren’t dead, I supposed it was fine.
“So you think what I give is right?”
[That’s Sunwoo’s share. Still, I don’t think there’s anything bad about it.]
They were already spirits despite being born half-missing.
How much stronger would they become once the other half was filled?
“That’s what you mean…”
[Probably the freshest one would be better for Nox, for those things inside Nox.]
“…Sssshh.”
Hecate.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to understand right now.
“So… does that mean I have to do… those things… with Nox?”
[? What are you talking about?]
“If it’s freshest that’s needed, then that’s just what it is, isn’t it?”
[……Ugh, ugh, uuuhuuu?!“]
“──What?!”
What kind of noise was that?!
Unable to hold back my excitement, I summoned Hecate on my own and punched her in the stomach.
In shock, I staggered and collapsed; Hecate slapped my back repeatedly with her tiny hands like a fern.
“I’m genuinely disappointed. Sunwoo, do you really see Nox like that? Nox is a baby! A human who thinks about a baby that way can’t be a proper human!”
“So that’s what you mean…”
“This is all because it’s been tainted by darkness. I won’t allow it. Unless this body becomes human again…!”
Hecate trembled as she gathered light in her hands.
Ah, this was bad.
Her mana holes were probably burning with light.
Just as I was half-closing my eyes in resignation——for some reason, the light didn’t spread through my body.
“What? Are you rebelling against this body now?”
“Unnie… why are you so angry?”
Nox had appeared.
Hecate’s light was swallowed and neutralized by Nox’s darkness.
Whether lucky or unlucky, the two spirits were summoned right in front of me.
“You’re not angry right now? Look at that, Sunwoo! Pure degenerate, pervert, the kind of beast that shouldn’t even be born in society!”
“But Nox doesn’t care, right? It’s even better if Papa and I become one…”
“…Sunwoo. Is this appearance normal to you?”
“We should do sex education again for the kid.”
The kid had learned that from inside its belly, so common sense was a bit off.
I shook my head and let out a small sigh; this time Nox asked Hecate.
“Why not? Because you want to do it only with unnie?”
“…Nox is still a baby. And a baby is too young to have a child.”
“A baby?”
“Before you get truly angry, stop doing that slutty thing of folding your arms over your chest.”
Nox’s unintentional provocation.
Even after that, Hecate kept trying to persuade me, but…
“Between lovers? Nox likes Papa. So it’s fine, right?”
“So that’s all there is to it…!”
“Then Hecate unnie goes first! Nox is fine with it later!”
“What kind of depraved loli-loving bastard am I that I should be stuck with you?!”
“Then it’s fine if Nox goes first, right?”
“Gyaaa. Gyaaa. Gyaaa. Gyaaa. Gyaaaaah!!!!”
Pure evil is strong.
Hecate could never be persuaded no matter how much pure reason I spoke.
In the end, after going around in circles, it returned to—
“…Remember this. I will always be watching…!”
“Who said what?”
Hecate warned me.
No matter how crazy I was, I wouldn’t touch Nox.
Just as I thought it was finally settling down.
“Eh…?”
“…..Eh?”
An unexpected face appeared.
“Dirty spirit kidnappers!”
“You dog-like Lycanstrists…!”
Why was that supremacist KKK type here?
…
..
.
Tatak!
A single finger snap cut off all surrounding sound.
A kind of boundary using the wind spirit.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. Spirit kidnappers. Still kidnapping spirits like this. Can you face your sins on the other side after death?”
“Well, the Lord said racial bigots are cut off at the entrance, didn’t he?”
“Kidnappers. Confinement. No normal people among you yellow monkeys, apparently.”
“Which country’s bastard is prancing around pinned by a monkey.”
Ah, now that I thought about it…
“Monkey or white horse, both are beasts, so it fits. I’m human, so I don’t know.”
“…..As expected. I don’t speak to disgusting yellow monkeys.”
A primly turned expression.
The tightly clenched fist that went with it was oddly amusing.
“Speaking of which… Hecate-nim. Is my proposal still valid?”
“Proposal? What are you talking about?”
“I proposed that you live in a pure, spotless nature instead of being entangled with such filthy yellow monkeys.”
“Pure? Hmmm…”
Her eyes were lowered.
Hecate silently grabbed my sleeve.
“Why were you born with such good eyes and still can’t see people right in front of you?”
“What strange words. I avoid those monkey bastards in front of me more than anyone.”
None of my impurities can be hidden under my spirit…
“….Hah?”
“Look. The blind man who opened his eyes is exactly describing you.”
“No… No. That can’t be. How could that monkey do such light──Ah, I see. That’s it, isn’t it?”
“?”
“As expected. That filthy yellow monkey is unchanged. They would force pure spirits to take their filth…!”
“…Ah, no way.”
Was she talking about Nox?
Curious, I looked at Nox, who looked back at me with wide eyes as if she didn’t understand.
“Papa… what is she saying?”
“Papa? I can’t listen to this anymore.”
Lycanstrist turned his head, furrowing his brows.
He immediately dropped to one knee, reached out to Nox, and said,
“Spirit-nim. You are being deceived by that man. There is no reason for you to accept his sins. You are an existence worthy of love. So leave that disgusting, creepy beast and find your freedom.”
“….Papa.”
“I won’t stop you.”
The sleeve I was holding felt power.
Nox’s resolve to tear the guy apart.
Normally I would tell her to endure, but since we were both Awakeners, and since fucking Lycanstrists had no mercy, this was an immutable truth written in the ancient books of Goguryeo and the East and West.
“You wait. You need to calm down. This is it.”
“I see it. That horrific sin passed to the Spirit-nim! Karma! That kind of filthy yellow monkey is sinful just for living and breathing on Earth!”
“What the hell is that party martial-arts brat doing?!”
“Shut up! In the end I’ll be the real wife, so it doesn’t matter!”
The mana waves were growing stronger.
This was no longer something to endure.
Whether I died or became food, the set stage was going to be destroyed.
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
I poured the gathered mana onto the spirits.
A full-power strike. An attack poured without any reservation or reduction toward each other──
“——The hell?!!”
“Eh.”
It was canceled by the sudden appearance of a woman.
By the way.
“Kyahahahaha! Yes! Let the filthy monkeys kill each other!!!”
“Eh… Eh, eh! Look at that bastard!”
I had stopped, but the guy kept going.
The only good thing was that Nox had switched to defense and absorbed the attacks completely, so there was no damage.
“…You really are a dog bastard.”
As expected, negotiations with Lycanstrists were never a good idea.
I let out a small sigh, sweat dripping.
“Our Elysia-nim is sorry…!”
“…Long time no see. Hyeon-ah.”
“Ugh? Uh… Sunwoo-ssi?
The Hero Party’s healer, manager, odd-job worker, and everything else.
Kim Sunwoo handles everything for Jeong Hayan.
Hayan-ssi has had a really hard time.
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